(gSki 


^«'e»  j^j,l  book  on  or  h  , 


below 


Uni 


^^U^^tHj^il^r.. 


THE    MANIFOLDNESS    OF    MAN. 


BACCALAUREATE  SERMON, 


DELIVERED   AT 


¥ILLIAMSTO¥N,  MS. 


JULY     31,    1859. 


BY     MARK    HOPKINS,    D.D, 

President  of  Williams  College. 


PUBLISHED  BY  REQUEST  OF  THE  CLASS. 


TKH         '  OF  THE 


yrriVf^RS'T^'  ".f  •^• 


BOSTON: 

PEESS  OF  T.  R.  MARVIN  &   SON,   42  CONGRESS  STREET. 
18  5  9. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1859, 

By  T.  R.  Marvin, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  District  of  Massachusetts. 


SERMON. 


LUKE  I.  66. 

WHAT   MANNER   OP   CHILD    SHALL  THIS   BE  ? 

^  The  circumstances  preceding  and  attending  the 
^  birth  of  John  the  Baptist,  were  extraordinary.  As 
Vhis  father,  Zacharias,  then  ''well  stricken  in  years," 
f^  "  executed  the  priest's  office  before  God  in  the  or- 
der of  his  course,"  "  there  appeared  unto  him  an 
angel  of  the  Lord  standing  on  the  right  hand  of 
the  altar  of  incense,"  and  foretold  the  birth  of  the 
child.  When  Zacharias  did  not  believe  him,  "  the 
angel  answering  said  unto  him,  I  am  Gabriel,  that 
stand  in  the  presence  of  God,  and  am  sent  to  speak 
unto  thee,  and  to  show  thee  these  glad  tidings. 
And  behold,  thou  shalt  be  dumb,  and  not  able  to 
speak,  until  the  day  that  these  things  shall  be  per- 
formed." Accordingly  Zacharias  was  dumb  until 
the  time  came  for  naming  the  child.  Then,  after 
he  had  written  the  name  given  by  the  angel,  "  his 
mouth  was  opened  immediately,  and  his  tongue 
loosed,  and  he  spake  and  praised  God."  These 
things  "  were  noised  abroad  throughout  all  the 
hill-country  of  Judea;"  and  it  is  not  strange  that 


"  all  they  that  heard  them  laid  them  up  in  their 
hearts,"  or  that  they  said,  "  What  manner  of  child 
shall  this  be  V  Of  a  child  whose  birth  was  thus 
heralded  and  signalized,  something  extraordinary 
could  not  fail  to  be  expected. 

But  while  this  inquiry  was  thus  naturally  made 
respecting  John,  may  it  not  also  be  appropriately 
made  respecting  every  child  that  is  born  ?  There 
may  be  nothing  extraordinary,  either  in  connection 
with  the  birth  of  the  child,  or  with  the  child  itself, 
and  yet  that  child  shall  be  different  from  every 
other  child  that  ever  was  born,  or  ever  shall  be ; 
and  its  capacities  of  development,  and  the  possi- 
bilities of  its  future,  shall  run  in  lines  of  such 
divergency  from  those  of  every  other,  that  we  may 
well  ask  respecting  it,  "What  manner  of  child 
shall  this  be  T' 

There  is  nothing  in  the  works  of  God  more 
striking  than  the  differences  there  are  of  things 
that  are  similar,  and  the  similarities  of  things  that 
are  different.  In  the  perception  of  these  two  we 
have  the  element  of  science  on  the  one  hand,  and 
of  practical  skill  on  the  other.  So  far  as  beings  or 
things  are  similar,  they  may  be  named  alike,  and 
treated  alike,  and  so  a  knowledge  of  one  becomes 
the  knowledge  of  all.  This  is  science.  Through 
this  the  individuals  which  God  has  made,  vast  as 
they  are  in  number  and  variety,  are  marshaled,  and 
ranged  in  regiments,  and  battalions,  and  companies. 
In  this,  and  so  far  as  it  goes,  exceptions  and  indi- 
vidualities disappear ;  what  seemed  promiscuous 
and   irregular  falls  into  order,  and  the   universe 


assumes  the  appearance  of  troops  marching  and 
countermarching  in  a  grand  review.  But  so  far  as 
things  are  different,  each  individual  must  be  studied 
by  itself,  and  treated  by  itself;  and  as  differences 
constantly  appear,  they  furnish  the  occasion  of 
constant  study.  Thus  it  is  that  through  similar- 
ities the  dictionary  of  human  knowledge  is  greatly 
abridged,  while,  through  diversities,  the  faculties 
are  kept  constantly  awake.  At  the  point  where 
we  cease  to  discriminate  differences,  all  interest 
ceases  from  uniformity  and  monotony.  At  the 
point  where  we  cease  to  discern  similarities,  inter- 
est again  ceases  from  diversity  and  confusion. 

But  while  these  elements  pervade  the  works  of 
God,  while  our  scientific  interest  in  those  works 
and  practical  power  over  them  are  from  these,  yet 
are  they  nowhere  more  striking,  and  nowhere  as 
interesting  to  us,  as  in  man.  Every  man  has,  and 
as  a  man  must  have,  the  great  features  and  char- 
acteristics which  make  him  a  man,  and  yet  how 
infinite  the  diversity  !  No  two  are  there  that  look 
alike,  no  two  that  think  alike,  no  two  that  act 
alike ;  and  doubtless  this  diversity  will  become 
greater  and  greater,  so  long  as  they  shall  exist. 
Here,  and  here  only,  in  this  diversity  ever  increas- 
ing yet  not  divorced  from  unity,  do  we  find  the 
basis  of  a  harmony  that  shall  also  ever  increase. 

This  diversity  it  was  which  was  implied  in  the 
question  of  the  text.  That  referred  not  merely  to 
the  childhood,  but  to  the  whole  career  of  John. 
What  manner  of  man  should  he  become  ?  What 
part    should  he  perform  in   the   great   drama   of 


6 

human  affairs  1  Should  he  be  a  monarch,  a  con- 
queror, a  sage,  a  lawgiver  ?  Should  he  play  over 
again  the  old  games  of  ambition,  and  pleasure,  and 
gain  ?  or  should  he  be  something  new  and  fresh  in 
the  world's  history  ] 

The  question  supposes  a  great  difference  between 
the  child  then,  and  what  he  would  become.  And 
how  great  w^as  that  difference !  Now  he  is  an  in- 
fant of  eight  days,  with  no  visible  distinction  from 
other  infants  ;  just  as  helpless  and  dependent.  A 
Pharisee  might  have  taken  him  under  the  enlarged 
border  of  his  garments,  and  have  borne  him  through 
the  streets  of  Jerusalem,  and  no  one  have  known  it. 
But  pass  on  now  thirty  years,  and  what  is  he  ]  He 
is  "  the  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness.  Pre- 
pare ye  the  way  of  the  Lord,  make  his  paths 
straight."  He  cries,  and  all  Judea,  and  Jerusalem, 
and  the  region  round  about  Jordan  are  stirred,  and 
go  out  to  him.  He  is  the  fulfillment  of  prophecies 
made  centuries  before,  the  forerunner  of  the  Mes- 
siah, a  bright  and  shining  light,  one  of  whom  it 
could  truly  be  said,  that  of  those  born  of  women, 
there  had  been  none  greater  than  he. 

But  great  as  this  change  was,  there  was  nothing 
in  it  so  unusual  as  to  attract  attention.  The  man 
attracted  attention,  but  not  the  change.  This  was 
so  gradual,  that  wonder  was  superseded  by  famil- 
iarity. It  was  but  a  single  exemplification  of  a 
general  law.     Hence  I  observe,  in  the  first  place. 

That  there  is  a  great  difference  in  all  organic 
^  beings,  between  what  they  are  at  first,  and  what 
we  see  them  become. 


We  might  ask  of  any  seed  just  germinating, 
What  manner  of  plant  shall  this  be  ]  See ;  here 
is  a  point  of  green  just  visible.  Look  again.  It 
has  become  a  violet,  with  its  eye  on  the  sun, 
suffused  with  beauty,  and  throbbing  with  the  pulses 
of  the  universal  life.  Here  is  a  filmy  substance ;  it 
lies  upon  the  palm  of  your  hand,  and  a  breath 
wdll  blow  it  away.  From  this,  too,  emerges  a 
point  of  green  no  larger  than  the  other,  and  with 
no  perceptible  difference  between  them.  But  this 
shall  become  the  elm  with  its  pendent  branches, 
towering  and  spreading,  the  pride  of  the  meadow. 
We  may  ask  the  egg^  '  What  manner  of  creature 
shall  this  be  ? '  Now  there  is  in  it  a  beating 
speck — a  mere  point  that  pulsates.  The  philoso- 
pher is  peering  at  it  through  his  microscope, 
searching  for  the  principle  of  life,  as  the  child 
chases  the  foot  of  the  rainbow.  That  principle  he 
finds  not,  he  shall  not  find  it,  but  it  embodies  and 
perfects  itself,  and  from  points  undistinguishable,  it 
becomes  now  a  wren,  chattering  and  vivacious;  now 
a  golden  oriole,  warbling  and  weaving  its  pendent 
nest ;  now  a  solemn  owl ;  a  peacock,  with  its 
"  goodly  wings  ; "  an  ostrich,  with  its  "  wings  and 
feathers,"  fleet  and  powerful ;  an  eagle,  screaming 
and  breasting  the  storm-cloud  far  in  the  sky.  It 
is  indeed  now  said,  that  every  plant,  from  the 
lichen  to  the  oak,  and  every  animal,  from  the 
insect  to  man,  has  its  beginning  in  a  single  cell. 
It  is  in  these  cells,  undistinguishable  by  us,  that 
Omniscience  can  see  the  future,  and  from  them 
that  Omnipotence  can  call  "  the  things  that  are 
not,  as  though  they  were." 


8 

This  capacity  of  transformation  and  growth,  by 
which  beings  seem  to  us  to  pass  from  the  very 
verge  of  nonentity  to  great  perfection  and  magni- 
tude and  power,  is  among  the  most  striking  char- 
acteristics of  the  present  state.  It  is  also  one 
which  we  think  of,  and  Revelation  confirms  the 
impression,  as  belonging  to  this  state  alone.  There 
are  not  wanting  those  who  believe  that  this  world 
is  the  nursery  for  peopling  this  planetary  system  at 
least,  if  not  the  worlds  scattered  through  all  space. 

The  individuals  thus  starting  from  what  seems  a 
common  point,  are  different  in  rank,  and  fall  into 
difi*erent  classes  ;  and  we  next  inquire  what  the 
rank  of  each  will  be. 
A  The  rank  of  each  will  be  determined,  first,  by  its 
rank  in  its  own  class  ;  and,  secondly,  by  the  rank 
of  the  class. 

The  rank  of  an  individual  in  its  own  class  will 
I  be  determined  by  its  capacity  of  development,  and 
by  its  actual  development  in  one  direction.  The 
California  pine  may  reach  a  circumference  of  thirty 
feet,  and  a  height  of  three  hundred  and  fifty,  and 
so  be  the  first  of  its  class  ;  but  it  is  by  a  repetition 
always  of  the  same  processes,  an  extension  and 
increase  in  one  line.  Between  the  greatest  and  the 
least  of  them  there  is  no  difference,  except  that  of 
development  in  a  particular  direction.  Among 
men,  a  man  will  be  really  first,  who  possesses  most 
perfectly  what  is  distinctively  human  ;  and  in  gen- 
eral, whatever  individual  of  a  class  shall  manifest 
most  fully  its  distinctive  characteristic,  will  be  the 
first  in  that  class. 


But  while  rank  in  a  class  is  determined  by 
development  in  one  direction,  the  rank  of  a  class  ^ 
is  determined  by  the  capacity  of  individuals  in  it 
for  development  in  different  directions ;  thus  giving 
wide  scope  to  the  imagination  in  answering  the 
question,  '  What  manner  of  being  shall  this  be  ? ' 
The  power  in  a  tree  of  varying  from  a  given  line 
is  as  nothing.  So  it  can  grow,  so  only.  In  ani- 
mals, this  power  is  greater ;  in  man,  greater  still — 
and  the  more  things  it  is  possible  for  him  to  be- 
come, the  more  complex  must  be  his  nature,  and 
the  higher  his  rank.  As  the  scheme  of  the  creation 
is,  that  that  which  is  above  takes  up  into  itself  all 
that  is  below,  the  more  complex  the  nature  is,  the 
higher  it  must  be,  the  more  directions  it  may  take, 
and  the  greater  is  the  uncertainty  that  must  hang 
about  its  final  destiny. 

And  here  I  observe,  in  the  third  place,  that,  in 
sensitive  and  moral  beings,  a  capacity  of  develop-  ^^ 
ment  in  one  direction  involves  its  opposite,  and 
that  in  an  equal  degree.  In  this  we  find  startling 
indications  respecting  the  possibilities  of  our  future. 
In  creatures  merely  sensitive,  perhaps  a  diff'erent 
constitution  was  possible,  but  we  know  of  no  in- 
stance of  it.  A  capacity  for  pleasure  always  in- 
volves that  of  pain,  and,  so  far  as  we  can  judge,  in 
a  degree  precisely  correspondent.  But  whatever 
may  be  possible  in  the  region  of  simple  enjoyment, 
in  a  moral  being  the  capacity  of  development  in 
one  direction  must  imply  that  in  the  other.  He 
who  is  capable  of  moral  elevation,  must  also  be  of 
moral  degradation.     He,  and  he  only,  who  is  capa- 


10 

ble  of  great  moral  excellence,  is  capable  of  great 
sin.  This  is  the  basis  of  the  maxim,  universally 
true,  that  the  best  things,  corrupted,  become  the 
worst.  The  better,  the  higher,  the  purer,  the  no- 
bler any  being  is  capable  of  becoming,  the  more 
utter  and  awful  may  be  its  downfall  and  ruin.  It 
requires  an  angel  to  make  a  devil. 

From  what  has  been  said,  it  appears  that  the 
rank  of  man  will  be  determined  by  the  range 
of  his  possible  development  in  different  directions. 
And  how  wide  is  that  range  !  How  different  in 
this  is  man  from  any  other  being  on  the  earth  ! 
Let  us  look  at  the  breadth  of  this  range,  first,  in 
respect  to  belief.  An  animal  cannot  be  said  to 
believe  at  all,  but  for  an  infant  how  wide  is  the 
range  of  possible  belief!  Wonderful  is  it,  that 
with  the  same  faculties,  thrown  into  the  same 
world,  with  the  same  phenomena,  and  orders  of 
succession,  and  similarities  and  differences,  such  a 
range  should  be  possible.  Especially  is  this  true 
of  religious  belief,  where  the  range  is  the  widest 
conceivable. 

Here  are  two  infants  just  opening  their  eyes 
upon  the  light,  and  beginning  to  gather  those 
materials  which  are  to  be  the  basis  of  their  belief. 
What  manner  of  men  shall  they  be  ?  They  seem 
alike ;  but  when  manhood  comes,  one  of  them 
shall  stand  upon  this  earth  so  full  of  the  goodness 
of  God,  under  these  heavens  which  declare  his 
glory,  he  shall  see  all  there  is  in  them  of  order, 
and  beauty,  and  beneficence,  and  yet  be  an  atheist. 


11 

Causeless,  aimless,  fatherless,  hopeless,  with  noth- 
ing to  respond  to  his  deepest  wants,  for  him  the 
universe  shall  be  whirled  in  the  eddies  of  chance, 
or  swept  on  by  the  current  of  a  blind  and  remorse- 
less fate.  The  other  shall  believe  that  there  is  one 
God,  infinite,  eternal  and  unchangeable,  omnipo- 
tent and  omnipresent,  holy,  just  and  merciful,  the 
Creator  and  Governor  of  all  things,  to  whom  he 
may  look  up  and  say,  My  Father.  For  him,  com- 
pared with  this  God,  the  universe  is  as  nothing. 
In  Him  it  has  its  being.  It  is  irradiated  with  his 
glory,  as  the  evening  cloud  with  the  glory  of  the 
setting  sun.  Except  as  expressing  his  attributes 
and  indicating  his  purposes,  it  had  no  grandeur 
and  no  significance. 

One  of  these  again  shall  look  forward  to  death, 
and  see  in  it  the  end  of  man.  For  him,  the  sullen 
sound  sent  back  from  his  coffin  when  the  sod  falls 
upon  it,  is  the  last  which  the  conscious  universe  is 
to  know  of  each  individual  man,  unless,  indeed, 
the  geologist  of  some  future  era  may  find  in  the 
impression  of  his  bones,  a  record  of  this.  For 
him,  man  has,  in  death,  no  pre-eminence  over  the 
beast.  By  the  other,  death  shall  be  welcomed  as  a 
friend.  It  shall  be  for  him  the  beginning  of  a 
higher  life,  of  clearer  insight,  of  purer  joys,  of  a 
greater  nearness  to  God,  and  of  an  unending  pro- 
gression.    He  shall 

"  The  darkening  universe  defy, 
To  quench  his  immortality." 

He  shall  believe  with  a  certainty  that  shall  enable 
him  to  say  with  one  of  old,  that  he  kiiows  'that 

3 


12 

if  this  earthly  house  of  his  tabernacle  were  dis- 
solved, he  has  a  building  of  God,  a  house  not  made 
with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens,'  and  so  his 
great  hope  shall  lie  beyond  the  tomb.  One  of 
these,  again,  shall  believe  in  no  accountability 
after  death  ;  the  other  shall  believe,  that  "  every 
idle  word  that  men  shall  speak,  they  shall  give 
account  thereof  in  the  day  of  judgment." 

So  these  two  may  come  to  believe,  and  yet  be 
men.  These  three  great  doctrines — of  God,  of  a 
future  life,  and  of  accountability — without  which 
there  can  be  neither  religion  nor  morality,  one 
shall  receive,  and  the  other  shall  reject.  Side  by 
side  they  may  stand,  separated  by  scarcely  a  point 
in  space ;  but  in  that  whole  interior  life  which  is 
most  intimate  and  essential  to  them,  they  are  as 
wide  asunder  as  the  poles. 

But  here  it  is  to  be  noticed,  that  while  the  pos- 
sibility of  this  divergence  in  belief  indicates  eleva- 
tion in  rank,  yet  the  fact  of  such  divergence  indi- 
cates for  some  a  low  position  in  that  rank.  A 
perfect  instinct  is  uniform.  So  is  perfect  reason, 
and  these  would  coincide.  These  are  the  extremes, 
and  between  these,  imperfection  and  diversity  lie. 
Truth  is  one,  and  a  failure  to  see  it  is  always  the 
result  either  of  feebleness  or  of  sin.  Hence,  diver- 
sity of  belief  is  not  among  those  needed  for  har- 
mony, but  the  reverse.  A  measure  of  it  is  com- 
patible with  harmony,  that  is,  such  as  this  world 
admits  of,  but  the  harmony  of  the  universe  will  be 
perfect  only  when  all  rational  creatures,  so  far  as 
they  see  at  all,  shall  see  eye  to  eye. 


13 

But  if  the  divergence  of  men  in  religious  belief, 
and  in  all  belief,  is  great,  it  is  not  less,  and  is  even 
more  striking,  in  their  objects  of  worship. 

One  "  planteth  an  ash,  and  the  rain  doth  nour- 
ish it.  Then  shall  it  be  for  a  man  to  burn.  He 
burneth  part  thereof  in  the  fire,  and  the  residue 
thereof  he  maketh  a  god,  even  his  graven  image  ; 
he  falleth  down  and  worshipeth  it ;  he  prayeth 
unto  it  and  saith,  Deliver  me,  for  thou  art  my 
god."  He  may  worship,  as  men  have  done,  flies, 
and  serpents,  and  crocodiles,  and  oxen,  and  the 
sun,  and  moon,  and  stars,  and  heroes,  and  devils ; 
and  worshiping  these,  he  becomes,  so  far  as  is 
possible,  assimilated  to  them.  How  diff'erent  these 
from  Him  who  is  '  the  Lord,  the  true  God,  the 
living  God,  and  an  everlasting  King ; — who  hath 
made  the  earth  by  his  power,  who  hath  established 
the  world  by  his  wisdom,  and  hath  stretched  out 
the  heavens  by  his  discretion.'  And  can  the  intel- 
ligent worshiper  of  this  God,  the  holy  prophet,  or 
apostle,  rapt  in  vision,  or  swallowed  up  in  adora- 
tion, be  of  the  same  race  with  the  idolater  casting 
himself  beneath  the  car  of  Juggernaut,  or  with 
the  cannibal  savage  eating  his  victim,  and  dancing 
before  a  carved,  besmeared,  and  hideous  log  ?  Can 
it  be  that  those  who  do  thus,  might  have  changed 
places  ] 

Here,  again,  diversity  is  not  the  basis  of  har- 
mony. If  harmony  requires  diversity,  it  has  its 
root  in  unity,  the  unity  of  truth  and  of  God ;  and 
so,  of  belief  and  of  worship. 

We  may  further  ask  what  any  child  shall  be  in 


14 

position,  in  attainments,  and  in  the  extent  of  his 
influence.  Shall  he  be  a  miner,  thousands  of  feet 
beneath  the  earth's  surface,  untaught,  unknown, 
unthanked,  uncared  for,  with  a  mind  as  narrow 
and  as  dark  as  the  sphere  of  his  labors  ]  Shall 
he  be  a  slave,  w^hose  range  is  the  plantation,  and 
to  whom  cupidity  and  fear  forbid  the  knowledge 
of  letters  ]  Shall  he  be  a  misanthrope,  self-exiled 
from  society,  who  dies  alone,  and  whose  body  is 
found  by  accident  ?  Shall  he  be,  as  probably  he 
will,  neither  rich  nor  poor,  neither  learned  nor 
ignorant,  neither  widely  known  nor  wholly  ob- 
scure— one  of  the  countless  throng  on  life's  thor- 
oughfare of  whom  the  casual  observer  would  take 
no  note'?  Or,  shall  he  tread  the  high  places  of 
art,  of  learning,  and  of  power  ?  Shall  the  canvas 
or  the  marble  wait  for  his  touch  to  become  immor- 
tal ]  Shall  he  be  a  poet,  "  soaring  in  the  high 
region  of  his  fancy,  with  his  garland  and  singing 
robes  about  him  ]  "  Shall  he  govern  nations,  com- 
mand armies,  sway  senates,  wrest  from  nature  her 
secrets,  lead  the  van  of  progress,  and  make  his 
thought  and  will  felt  over  the  globe  ? 

But  chiefly  may  we  ask  concerning  any  infant, 
What  manner  of  child  shall  this  be  in  character, 
and  in  the  kind  of  influence  he  shall  exert.  Upon 
^.character  every  thing  depends,  and  from  this,  influ- 
ence flows.  And  shall  these  be  in  the  line,  and 
on  the  level  of  sensuality  and  of  sense?  or  of  a 
selfish  and  all-absorbing  ambition  1  or  of  a  pure 
philanthropy?  or  of  a  whole-hearted  consecration 
to  the  will  of  God  ?     Shall  the  child  be  an  apostle 


15 

of  righteousness  ?  a  martyr  missionary "?  a  preacher 
like  Whitfield,  whose  eloquence  and  zeal  shall  set 
a  continent  on  fire  ?  Shall  he  be  a  fashionable 
exquisite,  admiring  himself,  and  supposing  himself 
admired  by  others  '?  Shall  he  be  a  political  in- 
triguer ?  an  adroit  depredator  upon  society  ?  Shall 
he  be  a  drunkard,  and  die  in  a  ditch  ]  Shall  he 
be  a  thief?  a  murderer'?  a  pirate  ]  Can  it  be  that 
he  who  sails  under  the  black  flag  of  death,  and 
whose  motto  is,  that  "  dead  men  tell  no  tales," 
once  drew  his  life  from  the  breast  of  a  human 
mother,  returned  her  caress,  and  answered  to  her 
smile '?  Who  is  this  upon  whom  every  eye  in  the 
vast  multitude  is  fixed  ?  Over  his  face  the  fatal 
cap  is  drawn,  and  he  stands  upon  the  drop  just 
ready  to  fall.  It  is  but  a  few  years,  and  his  tiny 
hand  held  the  finger  of  his  mother,  and  in  him 
were  garnered  up  her  fond  hopes  and  high  expec- 
tations. 

At  this  point  the  import  of  the  question  is 
deepest,  because  the  dread  issues  involved  in  our 
immortality  are  here  at  stake.  Here  are  harnessed 
the  forces  that  are  to  move  on  the  plains  of  eter- 
nity. Every  thing  indicates  that  in  the  mind,  as 
well  as  in  the  body,  there  is  a  possibility  of  ruix  ; 
that  there  are  there  also  processes  that  are  cancer- 
ous and  leprous  ;  and  that  they  may  gradually  per- 
vade, and  at  length  utterly  pervert  and  corrupt  the 
whole  being.  Awful  and  significant  it  is,  to  see 
such  a  disease  spreading  itself  over  the  body,  taint- 
ing the  fluids  more  widely,  and  implicating  more 
tissues,  till  deformity  becomes  only  the  more  ob- 


16 

trusive,  and  hideous,  and  persistent,  as  the  forces 
of  nature  were  originally  greater  and  more  benefi- 
cent. And  so  it  may  be  in  mind.  Whatever  the 
fact  may  be,  no  one  can  doubt  the  fearful  capacity 
for  this.  It  belongs  to  our  conception  of  spiritual 
forces  that  they  are  indefinite,  or  without  limit  in 
their  capacities,  in  whatever  direction  they  may 
move.  It  is  the  natural  pledge  of  their  immortal- 
ity, that  whatever  point  they  may  reach  in  knowl- 
edge or  aff^ection,  in  virtue  or  in  vice,  it  will  always 
be  possible  for  them  to  advance  still  further.  This 
point,  whatever  it  be,  must  be  reached  under  the 
law  of  habit,  and  under  that  still  more  general  law 
that  "•  to  him  that  hath  shall  be  given,"  and  thus 
the  time  must  come  when  there  can  be  no  return. 
For  the  same  reason  that  the  path  of  the  just  shall 
be  as  the  shining  light,  that  shines  more  and  more, 
the  gloom  of  to-day  shall  become  the  darkness  of 
to-morrow,  and  the  deep  midnight  of  the  day  fol- 
lowing. Selfishness,  passion,  hate,  shall  gain  a 
permanent  ascendency,  and  the  reign  of  retribution 
begin.  The  immutability  of  law  is  the  rock  to 
which  the  sinner  shall  be  bound ;  the  ceaseless 
action  of  the  spiritual  powers  is  the  immortal  liver 
that  shall  grow  as  it  is  consumed,  and  the  diseased 
action  is  the  vulture  that  shall  prey  upon  it.  The 
worm  shall  gnaw  till  it  shall  become  undying,  the 
fire  shall  burn  till  it  "  cannot  be  quenched."  This, 
not  crumbling  arches,  not  mouldering  cities,  but 
this,  this  is  ruin. 

What  a  contrast  between  this  and  the  possibili- 
ties we  see  before  us  and  in  us,  when  we  look  at 


17 

the  man  Christ  Jgsus.  In  him,  in  him  alone,  can 
we  form  a  right  estimate  of  onr  natnre ;  and  that  '-^ 
he  has  enabled  ns  to  do  this,  is  no  small  ground 
of  our  indebtedness  to  him.  So  far  as  he  was 
man  only,  there  was  in  him  no  excellence  or  per- 
fection which  we  may  not  attain  ;  and  the  perfec- 
tions in  him  were  not  only  an  example  to  us,  but 
were  a  pledge  to  his  followers  that  they  shall 
attain  the  same.  The  disciple  shall  be  as  his 
Master.  They  shall  be  like  him,  for  they  shall 
see  him  as  he  is.  Christ  was  the  Son  of  God  as 
Adam  was  not ;  and  in  him  humanity  was  glorified 
as  it  could  have  been  in  no  other  way.  There 
was  stamped  upon  it  the  seal  of  an  infinite  value. 
It  was  so  taken  into  union  with  God  as  to  show 
that  God  can  dwell  with  it,  and  that  the  highest 
divine  perfections  may  be  manifested  through  it. 
Christ  was  the  "  brightness  of  his  glory,"  as  mani- 
fested on  the  earth,  ''  the  express  image  of  his 
person,"  and  whoever  would  see  the  capacities 
there  are  in  man  for  elevation  and  excellence  must 
look  to  him.  ''  Looking  unto  Jesus,"  is  the  motto 
of  the  Christian.  He  is  the  only  type  of  normal 
development  for  the  race.  I  point  you  to  no 
heroes  or  sages,  but  to  Him ;  to  no  abstract  con- 
ception, but  to  embodied  excellence,  living,  walk- 
ing, speaking,  sympathizing,  suff*ering  among  men. 
The  divine  image,  marred  in  Adam,  was  restored 
in  Christ,  and  is  so  held  in  him  that  it  can  be  lost 
never  more.  The  gem  is  now  set  forever.  It  will 
belong  to  the  riches  of  eternity.  This  image  ive 
may  attain.     Between  the  attainment  of  this   and 


18 

any  thing  else,  the  difference  is  infinite.  This  is 
the  true  good.  And  O  how  great,  how  infinite  is 
this  good  !  In  view  of  it,  how  forcible  the  ques- 
tion of  our  Saviour,  '  What  shall  it  profit  a  man  if 
he  shall  gain  the  whole  world  and  lose  his  soul  1 
Or  what  shall  a  man  give  in  exchange  for  his 
souir  Fully  attained,  this  good  is  heaven.  What- 
ever outward  circumstances  may  be,  potentially, 
substantially,  ultimately,  this  is  heaven.  He  that 
is  like  God  shall  dwell  with  God.  The  son  shall 
be  in  his  father's  house.  He  shall  abide  forever. 
For  this  we  bless  thee,  O  our  Father.  Cease,  my 
friends,  your  disputes  about  religion.  He  that  is 
like  God  shall  dwell  with  God,  and  he  that  is  not 
like  God,  shall  not  dwell  with  him. 

We  thus  see  that  man  must  be  in  the  highest 
rank  of  created  beings,  and  how  it  is  that  his 
manifoldness  is  a  proof  of  his  greatness.  Touch- 
ing the  extremes  of  being,  he  is  capable  of  devel- 
opment on  the  level  of  any  nature  of  which  he  is 
partaker,  and  at  any  point  along  a  line  that 
reaches  from  the  instinct  of  the  animal  up  to  God 
himself.  He  may  become  an  animal,  or  simply 
human,  or  devilish,  or  divine.  Made  in  the  image 
of  God,  capable  of  indefinite  progress,  of  falling 
to  a  depth  profound  in  proportion  to  the  height  to 
w^hich  he  can  rise,  no  wider  scope  could  be  given 
to  the  imagination  than  is  now  given,  when  the 
question  is  asked  concerning  any  child,  "  What 
manner  of  child  shall  this  be  ? " 


:!       My  beloved   Friends  of  the   Graduating  Class, 
Jil^-         this  discussion  is  especially  for  you,  and  in  apply- 


19 

ing  its  principles,  I  address  myself  directly  to  you. 
You  are  no  longer  children,  but  men,  and  in  view 
of  the  wide  range  of  possibilities  now  presented 
before  you,  I  ask  you.  What  manner  of  men 
will  you  be?  I  come  to  you  individually,  and 
with  affectionate  earnestness  and  deep  solicitude, 
ask  each  one  of  you.  What  manner  of  man  will 
you  be  \ 

The  question,  observe,  is  not.  What  will  you 
get  ?  but,  What  will  you  he  ?  The  first  is  the  par- 
amount question  with  selfishness  ;  the  second,  with 
reason  and  religion.  In  asking  the  first,  you  are 
not  necessarily  selfish  ;  in  making  it  paramount, 
you  are.  In  seeking,  on  the  other  hand,  to  be 
great,  good,  noble,  like  God,  you  are  indeed  con- 
sulting your  own  good  most  wisely,  but  are  not 
selfish,  for  how  can  a  man  be  selfish,  when  his 
very  object  is  to  he  benevolent.  How  be  selfish  in 
seeking  to  be  like  God,  for  God  is  love.  This 
question,  then,  I  ask  with  emphasis,  for  under  the 
government  of  God  your  all  must  depend  upon  it. 
And  not  only  do  I  ask  it,  this  College  that  has 
watched  over  you,  and  will  follow  you  with  an 
abiding  interest,  and  which  you  will  either  honor 
or  disgrace,  asks  it.  Your  parents  and  near 
friends,  to  whom  you  owe  every  thing,  ask  it. 
Your  country  asks  it.  The  church  of  God  asks  it. 
The  nations  that  are  in  ignorance,  and  under 
oppression,  ask  it.  And  I  doubt  not  there  is,  at 
this  solemn  moment  in  your  own  hearts,  a  "  still 
small  voice,"  in  which  God  is,  that  asks  it.  What 
manner  of  men  will  you  be  ? 

4 


20 

This  question,  as  put  to  you,  I  desire  to  limit  as 
I  have  not  done  in  the  general  discussion.  That 
was  in  view  of  two  kinds  of  diversity  that  must  be 
discriminated.  There  is  one  having  its  root  in 
repugnance  and  opposition,  involving  elements  that 
can  never  be  brought  into  harmony,  and  that  can 
have  no  unity  even,  except  as  there  is  fixed  between 
them  a  great  and  impassable  gulf  For  this  gulf 
there  is  provision  in  the  essential  difference  of 
moral  good  and  evil ;  and  while  these  may  be  em- 
braced in  the  unity  of  one  government  of  eternal 
righteousness,  yet  this  can  be  only  on  the  condition 
that  that  gulf  shall  be  fixed. 
^  But  there  is  also  a  diversity  which  springs  from 
unity,  and  is  the  basis  of  harmony  ;  and  within 
this  limit  diversity  is  a  good.  Only  through  this 
can  we  have  the  riches  and  beauty,  as  well  as  the 
harmony  of  the  universe.  In  this  we  have  the 
one  light  refracted  into  its  seven  colors,  making 
the  earth  green,  and  the  sky  blue,  and  the  clouds 
gorgeous.  In  this  is  the  one  sound  now  parting 
itself  into  its  seven  notes  for  music,  now  articulat- 
ing itself  in  speech,  now  becoming  the  chirp  of 
the  cricket,  and  now  the  roar  of  the  thunder.  In 
this  is  the  one  water  seen  in  mist,  in  dew,  in 
steam,  in  ice,  in  snow,  in  the  green  heaving  ocean, 
and  in  the  rainbow  that  spans  it.  In  this  is  the 
one  body  with  its  organs,  the  one  tree  with  its 
branches,  the  one  universe  with  its  suns,  and 
planets,  and  satellites,  and  comets.  Within  this 
limit,  the  wider  the  diversity,  the  richer  are  the 
fields  opened  to  us  in  science,  in  beauty,  and  in 
character. 


And  now,  when  I  put  this  question  to  you,  I 
would  have  all  your  diversity  within  this  limit.  I 
wish  to  speak  with  you  of  no  other.  This  will 
involve  no  restriction,  no  monotony,  or  tameness, 
or  repression  of  any  manly  energy,  no  abatement 
of  the  zest  and  foam  and  sparkle  of  life.  It  will 
only  lift  you  above  obstructions,  and  enable  you 
to  move  calmly  and  freely,  as  the  balloon  that 
floats  in  the  long  upper  currents,  instead  of  being 
whirled  in  the  lower  tempests,  and  wrecked  among 
the  branches.  O,  could  I  but  know  that  all  your 
diversity  would  range  within  this  limit,  that  you 
would  all  be  Christians,  true  followers  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,  almost  would  I  say  to  you,  Be  what 
you  please.  Certainly  I  should  prefer,  since  one 
star  differs  from  another  star  in  glory,  that  you 
should  not  be  among  those  less  bright.  But  only 
be  a  star.  Shine,  and  choose  your  own  shade 
of  light.  Be  Paul,  or  Peter,  or  John,  or  James, 
or  even  Thomas ;  any  of  them  but  Judas.  Be  a 
Luther,  or  Melancthon  ;  be  Jonathan  Edwards,  or 
Harlan  Page ;  be — but  I  will  go  no  further ;  I 
will  rather  recall  what  I  have  said,  and  say  to  you,  tW 
Be  yourselves.  Bring  out  your  own  individuality.  ^ 
It  is  your  own.  As  such,  respect  and  cherish  it, 
only  avoiding  all  affected  singularity.  You  will, 
I  think,  allow  that  that  individuality  has  been 
respected  in  your  course  of  instruction  here  ;  that 
the  object  has  been,  not  to  put  upon  you  the  ear- 
mark of  any  system,  but  to  bring  your  individuality 
out  under  the  inspiration  of  a  love  of  truth.  If 
it  be  different  from  that  of  others,  do  not  be  trou- 


22 

bled.  It  ought  to  be.  Bring  it  out  in  its  sim- 
plicity, any  where  within  the  broad  light  and 
expanse  of  the  one  perfect  example.  Christ  was 
peculiar,  but  not  singular,  except  as  Mont  Blanc 
and  the  Ocean  are  singular.  So  be  you,  and  you 
shall  polish  a  gem  for  its  setting  in  the  diadem 
of  Him  who  weareth  many  crowns,  that  shall  have 
in  it  shades  and  lines  that  no  other  can  have. 

And  while  I  thus  call  upon  you  to  bring  out 
your  own  individuality,  let  me  say  to  you  also, 
Respect  that  of  others  ;  and  not  only  so,  appre- 
ciate it,  and  rejoice  in  its  manifestation.  Nothing 
is  more  needed  among  men  than  the  power  and 
readiness  to  do  this,  and  to  accept,  in  religion,  in 
politics,  and  in  social  life,  those  diversities  of  belief 
and  of  forms  which  spring  from  this,  but  which 
yet  have  their  root  in  essential  unity,  and  no  more 
cease  to  be  of  it  than  men  of  different  colors  cease 
to  be  of  the  race.  To  do  this,  is  liberality,  in  dis- 
tinction from  laxness  and  indifference  to  the  truth. 
This  God  intended  should  be.  It  is  not  for  noth- 
ing, that  the  notes  of  birds,  and  the  colors  of 
flowers,  and  the  outlines  of  mountains  difi'er,  yet 
are  all  pleasing.  It  is  not  for  nothing,  that  we  are 
told  that  the  foundations  of  the  New  Jerusalem 
are  of  twelve  manner  of  precious  stones  ;  and  the 
jasper  is  not  better  than  the  sapphire,  nor  the  sap- 
phire than  the  emerald,  nor  the  emerald  than  the 
amethyst,  and  all  are  better  than  any  one  would  be, 
and  all  are  one  in  their  common  nature  as  gems, 
and  in  their  common  office  of  adorning  and  sup- 
porting the  heavenly  city.     How  to  draw  the  line 


23 

rightly,  in  particular  cases,  no  rules  can  be  given  ; 
but  you  see  the  general  principle,  and  I  beseech 
you  to  do  this  wisely  and  liberally,  remembering 
that  it  is  the  tendency  of  egotism  and  selfishness  to 
fall  into  clannishness,  and  into  a  party  and  secta- 
rian spirit,  and  to  magnify  non-essentials. 

In  the  light  of  what  has  been  said,  let  me  turn 
your  thoughts  to  the  provision  God  has  made  for  , 
the  growth  and  enjoyment  of  his  creatures  as  intel- 
ligent, and  aside  from  the  affections.  For  these  the 
great  conditions,  in  the  construction  of  his  works, 
are,  first,  unity.  By  this  is  not  meant  an  indivisible 
unit  of  which  there  may  be  any  miomborwithout 
either  unity  or  harmony,  and  which  must  remain 
imfruitful ;  but  a  unity  like  those  spoken  of  above, 
capable  of  being  parted  into  diversity,  and  of 
returning  to  itself  again.  The  second  condition  is 
diversity — not  merely  numerical,  but  that  which  is 
implied  in  parts  having  relation  to  a  common 
whole.  The  third  condition  is  harmony,  that  is, 
such  a  relation  of  parts  to  each  other  and  to  the 
whole,  as  to  realize  and  complete  our  conception 
of  that  whole.  For  intellectual  growth  and  enjoy- 
ment, a  perception  of  these  is  all  that  is  needed  ; 
and  how  inexhaustible  these  are,  and  how  wonder- 
fully blended  in  this  universe,  I  need  not  say.  In 
this  view  of  it,  the  universe  is  an  organ  that  con- 
stantly discourses  music  to  angels  and  to  God. 
The  relations  of  its  parts  at  a  given  moment,  in 
their  adjustment  to  each  other  and  to  ends,  are  its 
harmony,  and  the  succession  of  its  events  are  its 
melody.     Its  harmony  we  can  begin  to  study.     Of 


24 

the  melody  we  can  know  comparatively  nothing, 
for  our  time  is  too  brief;  but  we  may  be  sure  that 
both  will  forever  increase. 

In  view  of  what  has  been  said,  you  will  also  be 
able,  not  only  to  estimate  the  place  and  value  of 
diversity  in  the  universe,  but  also  of  what  has  been 
called  many-sidedness,  in  the  individual.  Plainly 
this  is  a  proof  of  greatness.  At  times  the  admira- 
tion for  this  has  been  overdone,  and  there  has  been 
about  it,  in  certain  quarters,  something  of  cant. 
On  the  other  hand,  there  are  those  who  say  that  a 
man  can  excel  in  but  one  thing,  and  should  attend 
to  but  one.  -  Doubtless  the  greatest  effect  requires 
concentration,  and  there  should  be  no  attempt  at 
varied  excellence  that  would  diminish  this  ;  but 
there  are  few  occupations  in  which  all  that  a  man 
can  do  may  not  be  done  with  less  than  his  whole 
energies ;  the  use  of  the  powers  in  different  direc- 
tions gives  diversion  and  strength,  and  there  seems 
no  good  reason  why  a  man  may  not  gain  excellence 
in  all  the  directions  in  which  he  is  capable  of 
development.  Why  may  not  a  man  cultivate  both 
muscle  and  mind,  both  mathematics  and  music, 
both  poetry  and  philosophy?  I  trust  you  will 
shrink  into  no  one  channel,  but  as  you  have  be- 
gun, so  you  will  continue  to  advance  in  a  liberal 
culture. 

Once  more,  if  the  rank  of  man  be  so  high  and 
his  capacities  so  great,  then  is  this  world  a  fit 
theatre  for  that  great  redemxption  which  the  Scrip- 
tures reveal.  Between  him  and  that  redemption 
there  is  no  want  of  congruity  or  proportion.    Some 


25 

there  are  who  speak  of  this  world  as  a  mere  speck 
in  the  universe,  and  of  man  as  too  inconsiderable 
to  be  the  object  of  such  regard  as  is  implied  in  the 
coming  and  death,  for  him,  of  the  Son  of  God. 
But  so  far  as  is  possible  for  any  creature,  man 
takes  hold  on  infinity.  He  is  a  child  of  God,  and 
in  the  dealings  of  God  with  him  there  may  be 
involved  all  those  principles  of  wisdom  and  right- 
eousness and  mercy  which  can  be  involved  in  the 
divine  government  any  where,  and  so  the  whole 
universe,  mighty  as  it  is,  may  be  brought,  through 
man,  to  the  "  light  of  the  knowledge  of  the  glory 
of  God."  Little  can  they  who  think  thus,  have 
meditated  upon  those  sublime  and  consoling  words 
of  the  Apostle,  "  Beloved,  now  are  we  the  sons  of 
God,  and  it  doth  not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be ; 
but  we  know  that,  when  he  shall  appear,  we  shall 
be  like  him  ;  for  we  shall  see  him  as  he  is."'  This 
redemption,  O  let  us  magnify,  for  in  it  is  all  our 
hope.  This  redemption  I  commend  to  you  renew- 
edly,  earnestly,  affectionately,  in  this  solemn  and 
parting  hour. 

Finally,  my  beloved  friends,  if  there  is,  in  the 
capacities  of  man,  a  fit  occasion  and  ground  for  the 
redemption  revealed  in  the  Scriptures,  so  is  there 
in  his  diversities  a  fit  occasion  and  ground  for  that 
future  and  final  Judgment  which  they  also  reveal. 
How  could  these  diversities  be  greater?  How  is 
every  thing  respecting  God  and  his  government, 
even  to  his  very  being,  denied,  questioned,  chal- 
lenged, ridiculed,  mocked  ]  Taken  by  itself,  how 
tangled,  perplexed,  and  insoluble  by  reason,  is  the 


> 


26 

present  state  ?  What  shades  of  character !  What 
modifications  of  responsibility  !  What  wrongs  un- 
redressed !  What  questions  cut  short  by  death ! 
And  in  connection  with  these,  what  scope  for  the 
application,  in  every  delicate  adjustment,  of  every 
principle  of  moral  government!  Probably  in  no 
other  way  than  by  such  a  Judgment,  could  these 
diversities  be  reduced  to  the  comprehension  of 
finite  minds,  and  the  ways  of  God  to  man  be  vindi- 
cated. Here,  as  elsewhere,  the  reality  of  what  God 
does,  and  proposes  to  do,  transcends  all  that  man 
could  have  imagined  to  be  possible,  and  hence 
many  deny  this  also.  They  say,  "  Where  is  the 
promise  of  his  coming  ] "  "  But  the  day  of  the 
Lord  will  come  as  a  thief  in  the  night."  ''  The 
Son  of  man  shall  sit  on  the  throne  of  his  glory, 
and  before  him  shall  be  gathered  all  nations." 
This,  we  believe,  will  be  the  next  great  epoch  in 
this  world's  history.  And  in  view  of  it,  I  ask  the 
question  no  longer  in  regard  to  this  world,  What 
manner  of  men  will  you  be  ?  This  world  and  its 
scenes,  now  so  bright  before  you,  will  be  nothing 
then.  I  ask  this  question  in  view  of  that  day  when 
there  will  be  but  one  alternative.  What  manner 
of  men  will  you  then  be]_/  Will  you  be  among  the 
righteous  ]  Will  you  be  on  the  right  hand  ?  Will 
you  all  be  there '?  May  you  all  hear  the  music  of 
that  voice  which  shall  say,  "  Come,  ye  blessed  of 
my  Father,  inherit  the  Kingdom  prepared  for  you 
from  the  foundation  of  the  world." 


TP^  v^nfiMY  OF  THE 

'■'      ^^v^irv  OF  ILUNPfS 


■^;^ 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 


3  0112  111513039 


